The Blake Adventures: Slow and Steady
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: A motorbike race is coming through Ballarat. And as always, a mysterious death has implications for Lucien Blake and his family.
1. Chapter 1

**The Blake Adventures: Slow and Steady**

 _March 1962_

All of Ballarat was buzzing with excitement. Not much ever happened in their town, not on a national level, certainly. But the All-Aussie Motorbike Race was routed right through Ballarat as one of the last stops before the finish of the long-distance journey. Tourists and race enthusiasts and team crews and sponsors were all pouring into the sleepy town.

There was also quite a lot of excitement at the Blake residence. Jean was sitting on the floor in the parlor, her trouser-clad legs spread wide in front of her. She held little hands in hers, keeping the baby steady. Well, she wasn't much of a baby anymore. Valerie was perfectly able to stand on her own tiny two feet now.

Lucien was sitting on the sofa in front of them with his arms stretched out. "Come along, darling girl," he cooed to his daughter.

Valerie beamed excitedly at her father. She took a tentative step toward him. Jean let go of her hands, keeping them nearby in case she fell. But Valerie waddled the three feet ahead to be scooped into Lucien's arms.

Jean applauded, radiating pride and joy. Lucien pressed a thousand kisses to her rosy cheeks. She giggled merrily, her dark brown curls calling in her face as she tried to escape Dad's tickling beard. Jean hauled herself off the floor to join her husband and daughter on the sofa. She rested her cheek on Lucien's shoulder, staring at their little girl with so much love, she thought her heart might burst.

"Valerie, you're walking now, and we're very proud, but I do hope you'll be careful and not give us too much trouble. You see, darling girl, we're getting rather long in the tooth to be running after you all over the place," Lucien said with mock seriousness.

Jean just sighed. "She's going to be a nightmare."

"Yes, but she's our little nightmare."

Grinning, Jean replied, "Yes, and what a dream come true."

Lucien turned his head to give his wife a small kiss. It still astounded him constantly that this was actually his life, that he had been given this beautiful life with his girls. He'd never dreamt he could ever be so happy.

Jean could see he was starting to get a bit misty. Best to distract him. "Lucien, why don't you play us something?" She reached out for Valerie and took the toddler on her lap.

Poised at the piano, Lucien asked, "What would you like to hear?"

"Something we can all sing along to," Jean requested.

He launched into the old rock 'n roll ballad he'd learned when he'd investigated the death of Bobby Lee many years before. It was the first time he and Jean had sung together after Thomas Blake died; they'd sung together for the elder Dr. Blake to keep his spirits up. But it was many months after that before Lucien sat at the piano and sung, and many months after that before he'd asked Jean to sing with him.

Jean smiled and began to sing, "I don't want to break it…"

Lucien harmonized, and little Valerie, having heard this song her whole life, babbled along with her mother, trying to form the words.

In the middle of the song, the front door slammed open and slammed shut. Startled by the noise, the music ceased. Lucien turned to Jean and frowned curiously. He stood up to investigate.

Mattie was hurriedly hanging up her hat by the door. "Lucien!" she exclaimed upon seeing him. "The race is coming into town!"

"Yes, I know, the signs are everywhere."

"No, I mean right now! I came to change out of my uniform so we could all go watch."

Lucien furrowed his brow, confused. "I thought the racers weren't due until the morning?"

"The frontrunners are making better time than anticipated," Mattie explained. She was practically breathless in her excitement.

He had to chuckle at the youthful exuberance she displayed. "Alright, Blake family, we're off to see the race!" he announced loudly.

It took a little time for Jean to get Valerie settled in her pram before they could go. As she pushed it down the street, she noted, "I'll be glad when we don't need this anymore. Though it is rather comforting to not need to worry about her running off in all directions yet."

Mattie cocked her head in interest. "She's not walking yet, is she?"

"Actually," Lucien told her proudly, "Our Valerie took her very first steps this afternoon. Just before you came home, actually."

With a happy gasp, Mattie bent down and ruffled Valerie's curly hair. "Well done, baby sister!"

Jean and Lucien just beamed with pride.

They made their way to the crowds of people lining up along the raceway. One of Mattie's friends waved them over and made space for the pram to put Valerie right in front. Jean knelt down beside the baby and explained that the motorbike race was coming through, and they'd get to watch the racers come through.

"Bike?" Valerie asked.

Jean couldn't help but smile. Every day, it seemed, she was saying more and more words. Soon enough, they'd be able to have real, proper conversations with her. "Yes, sweet girl, the motorbikes are coming," she replied gently to her daughter.

Patrick and Susan Tyneman pushed their way to the front with the power of their social standing. He opened his mouth to say something derisive about the couple using their baby to get to the front of the crowd, until he saw the baby's mother. "Ah, Jean!" he exclaimed pleasantly.

Jean turned and smiled brightly. "Patrick, how lovely to see you!"

Lucien rolled his eyes, all too fascinated by his wife's strange friendship with the most powerful man in town. Susan Tyneman scowled; she'd always liked Jean and appreciated her kindness, until Patrick had begun spending one or two afternoons a month having tea with her in in the Blakes' sunroom.

Patrick bent down to greet little Valerie. "And how's your beautiful daughter doing?"

"She started walking today," Lucien answered, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Oh you'll want to get a nanny now, Jean," Susan insisted. "You can't possibly be expected to deal with a toddler running about!"

Jean knew Susan meant well; Susan always meant well. "I think we'll be alright, Susan, but thank you," Jean replied politely.

Lucien opened his mouth to tell Susan Tyneman that he and his wife were more than capable of taking care of their own child, thank you very much, but he was cut off by the roar of an engine. The racers were approaching.

Everyone was cheering and applauding as the first blue-clad racer sped down the street. Coming closely behind was another biker in red, and right behind him was one in yellow, vying for second place into Ballarat. As the yellow rider was gaining, he suddenly spun out, fell off his bike, and rolled for a few feet as the motorbike crashed into a lamppost. The crowd screamed and ran out of the way.

Ever the prepared doctor, Lucien dashed out into the street to the fallen rider. Jean stood by the pram, watching in horror along with everyone else.

"Someone call the police!" Lucien shouted at the crowd.

Other racers were starting to enter town and were veering to avoid the crash. Not a single one stopped to provide any aid.

When the coast was clear, Mattie ran over to help Lucien. "What happened?"

Lucien looked at her with a grave expression. "I have no idea. But I don't think falling off the motorbike killed this man."

"No?"

"I think his death caused the crash. Not the other way around."


	2. Chapter 2

"Alice, what do you make of this?" Lucien asked, pointing to a tiny mark on the neck of their corpse.

Dr. Harvey leaned in close. "Looks like a puncture of some kind. A needle, perhaps a syringe?"

Lucien nodded. "Yes, my thought as well. We'll need a toxicology report, see what was in his system. And obviously a full workup for the heart. I was there, I saw the crash. I know the crash didn't kill him, though these injuries would have been enough to do it."

"Yes, I'll go over the autopsy under both theories. That way we can see what was caused by the injuries from the crash and what may have been an independent cause of death. Toxicology should help with that," Alice replied.

"Right, if you don't need me for anything else now, I'll head home. Valerie should be awake from her nap quite soon," Lucien noted with a beaming smile.

Alice grinned. "I can't believe she's walking now! It seems like just yesterday that Jean was pregnant. Before you know it, she'll be off to school and living her own life."

"Yes, well, let's not make her grow up too fast. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing her little face light up when she points at me and says 'Da!'" Lucien mused.

"I do think she'll acquire a better vocabulary, but I can't imagine she'll ever grow out of loving her father. Not when she's got one as good as you," Alice told him with a nod.

Lucien just beamed. "Alice, you're sure you've never wanted to get married and have children?"

"Good lord, no. I'll be happy just visiting yours from time to time," she assured him.

He laughed, "Alright, well, you're always welcome." He gave her arm a friendly squeeze as he removed his lab coat, grabbed his jacket and hat, and rushed home.

Alice watched him leave with a small smile. It was wonderful to see him so happy all the time. It also meant he was distracted from paying attention to things Alice didn't want him to notice. As soon as the door closed behind Lucien, Alice went to the telephone and dialed a number he knew by heart now. It was answered on the second ring. "Matthew, I just found out I can get out early enough for dinner tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing you."

Back at the Blake house, Lucien and Charlie arrived home at nearly the same time.

"Alright, Charlie?"

The young policeman sighed heavily. "This race is a nightmare, Doc. We were worried enough with all the extra people in town, and now we've got a death to worry about. As soon as you and Dr. Harvey can tell us that the crash killed Martin Riordon, the better things will be. The boss really doesn't want this to be a homicide, not with all the press around watching everything so closely."

"Are my ears burning?"

The two men turned to see Rose Anderson walking up the drive toward them. "No, Rose, please, you can't be here!" Charlie whined.

"I can too be here! Mrs. Blake invited me to come take some photos of the baby and stay for dinner," Rose replied.

"Alright, but I can't say anything about the crash or the race or anything else," Charlie insisted.

Lucien watched the couple bicker and chuckled to himself. Let them figure it out for themselves. He wanted to go in and see his daughter, particularly if Jean had asked Rose to take pictures; Valerie was sure to be all dressed up and adorable for her photoshoot.

He went inside and immediately climbed the stairs to Valerie's room. And sure enough, there was Jean, putting their little girl in a frilly pink dress. She blended in with the walls of the bedroom that used to belong to Jean.

"Hello, my beautiful girls. I hear we're getting some photos taken," Lucien greeted.

Jean smiled and turned her head to give him a small kiss. "Yes, I ran into Rose on the way home earlier and told her about Valerie's milestone today, and we agreed that it called for a bit of a celebration."

"Pi-chure!" Valerie chimed in excitedly.

Lucien kissed her curly hair. "That is exactly right, Valerie, you're going to get your picture taken." He turned back to Jean and noted, "I hope she doesn't grow up to be selfish and entitled, thinking the world is all wrapped around her little finger."

Jean scoffed, "In this house, that's certainly how it works. But she's a good girl. She'll be polite and kind, won't you?"

Valerie didn't quite understand what her parents were talking about, but she nodded and dutifully replied, "Yes, Mama."

With a satisfied grin, Jean kissed her daughter's little button nose and straightened her dress. "Right, let's go see Rose."

Jean carried the baby down the stairs, but put her down to stand on her own. She took a few steps forward before turning back to look at her mother questioningly. Apparently, Valerie was done walking for the day.

While Mattie and Rose and Jean fussed over Valerie in the parlor, Lucien and Charlie went into his study.

"Tell me, Charlie, what are the witnesses saying?"

"We spent all day interviewing the other racers and the team members. So far, we've figured out that Martin Riordon was placed third in the race coming into Ballarat. He was doing much better than anyone expected. We haven't had a chance to speak to his manager or his fiancée yet. They were too upset to come in for interview. The fiancée is the manager's daughter. Riordon was like a son to him, it seems," Charlie explained.

Lucien nodded. "I'd like to talk to the both of them. Find out if Riordon had any medical conditions that might have contributed."

"Doc, you don't mean what you said, do you? That he was dead before the crash and that's why the bike spun out?" Charlie asked with concern.

"I can't see how a professional motorbike racer would have lost control otherwise. Alice is going to run the toxicology report and see if there was anything in his system we should know about. But if he was doing better than expected, perhaps there was sabotage," Lucien posited.

"The boss isn't going to like this."

"I'll deal with Frank. And we won't talk about this anymore while Rose is here. Try to have a nice time this evening. I'll go check in with Alice in the morning and come by the station and we'll see what we can figure out," Lucien replied encouragingly.

"Lucien!" Jean's voice sounded from the other room. It was followed very quickly by the sound of Valerie crying.

"I believe that's our cue to join the others." Lucien stood from his desk and led Charlie out. "What's happened here?" he asked, seeing his daughter sitting on the sofa, red-faced and wailing.

Jean sighed in annoyance. "I just wanted her to stand there and give us a smile. That must have been too much to ask. She's being obstinate."

Lucien picked the baby up to try and soothe her. "Valerie, darling, what's the matter? Why didn't you want to smile for Mummy? I know Rose just wanted to take your picture."

"Daddy, no!" she screamed, burying her little face in her neck.

"She just woke up from her nap. And it isn't time for her dinner yet. I can't see why she's so upset," Jean wondered aloud.

"Jeanie, you go fix dinner. I'll take care of her for now. Valerie, how about we go into the surgery, eh? Would you like to play with the forceps?" he offered.

She didn't give any indication of reply. But Lucien took her to the other room anyway. At least he could close the door and drown out some of the noise, giving Jean a bit of peace. But Valerie just kept crying, no matter what Lucien tried to offer her. Eventually, he just pulled a reference book off the shelf and flipped it open to a random page. He read aloud about pulmonary edema.

That did the trick. Valerie quieted down, shifting in her father's lap to look at the book he was reading and trying to pay attention to the various complications involved in having excessive fluid in the lungs.

"Valerie, you'll need to apologize to Mum and Rose and Mattie. You weren't very nice, crying while they tried to take your picture," he told her softly, once he'd finished that page of the book.

She looked at him with her big, blue eyes, blinking in slight confusion. "Sorry?"

He nodded. "Yes, you tell Mummy you're sorry."

"Alright," Valerie replied in an almost-melodramatic fashion.

It took everything in Lucien not to laugh at her serious expression. But he couldn't help it. His heart was fit to burst at the realization that she sounded exactly like Jean.


	3. Chapter 3

"LUCIEN! What on earth are you doing!?" Jean shouted over the sound of the roaring engine in the front drive of their house.

Lucien switched the key to kill the motor as he turned to see his wife. "Jean. Hello, love. What were you saying?"

She huffed, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance. "I asked what you're doing."

"Investigating." He didn't bother to stand up from where he was sitting on the ground. He merely looked up at her.

Jean regarded the contraption her husband was fiddling with and glared. "I don't want that thing in my house."

"It's a motorbike, Jeanie, and it won't be in the house. It'll be out here or in the garage," he replied pragmatically.

"Are you going to explain why you have it at all?"

"It's the bike Martin Riordon crashed on. We finally interviewed his fiancée, Dianna, and the manager, Rick Abbott, Dianna's father. I asked if I could take a look at the bike to see if there may have been any sabotage, since Alice hasn't gotten the toxicology to confirm any physical interferencec, so I'm taking a look at the bike. So far, nothing out of sorts beyond the damage from the crash. And Dianna and Rick told me they don't want Martin's bike back, and since it's no good for racing anymore, so I decided to take it and fix it up."

"And why are you doing that?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, because it's a nice hobby, don't you think?"

Jean folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at her husband. "Yes, of course, Lucien. Because between seeing patients and working on cases for the police and raising our daughter, I know you're just desperate for ways to fill your time."

He was taken aback by her sarcastic tone. "Oh I didn't mean..."

But Jean interrupted him. "And speaking of our daughter, Valerie is walking now. And you want to have that death-mobile around the house where she might get into it? And never mind Valerie getting hurt, what about you!? Lucien, we have a family now. It is not the time for you to be trying our dangerous activities like riding a motorbike!"

He defended, "I know what I'm doing, Jean. I had a bike very similar to this in Singapore when I was an officer. I had quite a lot of fun until Mei Lin made me get rid of it."

"Something your wives have in common," Jean grumbled.

Lucien knew he couldn't very well argue with her. It really wasn't safe with Valerie. He sighed in resignation. "Can I at least fix it up so it'll ride? That way I can sell it in proper working condition. It's too good a bike to be sent to the scrapyard."

Jean didn't respond. She only rolled her eyes and went back into the house.

Taking that as tacit approval of his plan, Lucien returned to his task. He was quickly interrupted again by Jean's return. "Lucien, Alice is on the phone for you."

He dropped the socket wrench and stood up, wiping his hands on his trousers, much to his wife's disapproval, and dashed into the house. "Alice, you have the toxicology report?" he asked eagerly.

While Lucien was busy on the phone, Jean took it upon herself to try to clean him off, brushing a damp cloth on the dust and dirt marks on his sleeves and trousers. She couldn't resist rubbing a bit more than was necessary on his bum, delighted by the higher pitch of his voice as he nervously tried to focus on what Alice was telling him. At last, he thanked her and hung up. Lucien immediately grabbed Jean's wrist in his hand to stop her from fussing with him anymore.

"Jean!" he scolded.

"Now you know how I feel when I'm trying to schedule surgery appointments for you while you've got your mouth attached to my neck," she fired back.

Lucien just chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be vindictive about it."

"To be fair, you did have dirt all over you from being out in the drive with that motorbike of yours. And I mean it, Lucien, you get rid of that thing as soon as possible. It makes me nervous."

He pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand before releasing her from his grasp. "I do promise."

She sighed in slight relief. "Good. Now then, what did Alice have to say?"

Lucien explained that Alice had determined the cause of death to be a severe asthma attack. Riordon's lungs were ravaged by the disease, and the toxicology report showed a low-dose tranquilizer in his system, which would have exacerbated the condition in his lungs, causing him to stop breathing, lose control of the bike, and die before he crashed. "The strangest thing," Lucien concluded, "is that the tranquilizer came from a small puncture wound in his neck and it would have been administered about a minute before the crash, in the middle of the race while Riordon was on his bike."

Jean frowned, thinking about the mystery presented. "Obviously it wasn't a syringe. And it wasn't self-administered by mistake. Must have been shot at him, yes? Some kind of dart gun?"

"Mmm," Lucien hummed in agreement. He hadn't quite reached that conclusion yet, though he was headed in that direction. Leave it to Jean to be one step ahead of him every time. "Well, I'm off to deliver the report to the police," he announced, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Hang on, don't you want to change your clothes first? I was having a bit of fun, but you really are a mess," she informed him.

"I don't think the boys at the station really mind."

"Well I mind. Don't go out in public with dirt all over you."

Lucien grumbled slightly but climbed the stairs to go put on some different clothes to appease her.

"Oh, and check in on Valerie, would you? She should be waking up from her nap soon," Jean added.

It took all of two minutes to change his shirt and trousers. It took nearly twenty minutes for him to be able to tear himself away from the baby. She was already awake when he came into her bedroom. She stood up in her crib and grinned widely when she saw him enter. "Da!" she exclaimed in her little baby voice. Lucien picked her up and kissed her cheeks and danced around the room with Valerie in his arms as he sang silly songs to make her laugh.

"I thought you had to rush off to the police station." Jean stood in the doorway, her mouth curled into a half-smile as she regarded her wonderful little family.

"Oh do I have to go?" he whined melodramatically.

Jean laughed and took their daughter from his arms. "You see, Valerie? Your daddy is quite jealous that I get to stay here with you all day. And maybe if he stayed with you all day and I went running after murderers all the time, you'd be as excited to see me as you are to see him," she teased.

Lucien leaned in to be at the baby's eyeline. "Valerie, do you love your mummy?" he asked very seriously.

Valerie smiled at her father before turning to look up at her mother. "I love you, Mummy," she said.

Jean tried to blink back tears as she kissed Valerie's forehead and snuggled her close. "Oh I love you, too, sweet girl," she murmured.

With that, Lucien gave each of his girls one last kiss before finally making his way to the police station. When he arrived, Alice was already there waiting for him.

"It was a dart gun of some kind. Someone shot him with a tranquilizer during the race," she announced, holding the autopsy report up at him.

"Jean came to the same conclusion about half an hour ago," Lucien informed her.

"And you waited that long to come share the news?" Alice asked in disappointment.

"Valerie woke up from her nap," he defended.

Chief Superintendent Carlyle came between them and snatched the autopsy report out of Alice's hand. "Does one of you want to tell me how he died?"

Alice explained the particulars to Frank while Lucien listened. He was distracted, however, thinking about how Alice came to the dart gun conclusion. It wasn't like her to come to the police station without him or to come up with a theory without consulting him. Not that she wasn't perfectly capable to do all those things on her own. She just…didn't, usually. And then Alice turned while speaking and a red-purple blotch peeked out from the collar of her blouse. Lucien's eyes went wide, and he had to struggle to keep from laughing in delight; Alice Harvey had engaged in quite the romantic tryst, if that mark on her neck was anything go by.

Frank dispatched Charlie and Bill and Ned to go search all the rival race teams. Lucien took the opportunity to walk out with Alice.

"Dr. Harvey, as a doctor, I'd expect you to be able to cover up a love bite a bit better than that," he said to her quietly with a small chuckle.

She gasped and placed her hand on her neck to cover the mark. "Lucien!"

"I keep some Vitamin K cream stocked in the surgery, if you and your…partner would like to have a bottle."

Alice was bright red, mortified at the conversation. "It can't be very good, what with the way you take to wearing scarves in odd season," she fired back, attempting to deflect the attention off herself.

"I forget about the cream, honestly. Jean uses it quite a bit," he replied proudly.

"This wasn't a usual occurrence for me," Alice admitted in a small voice.

Lucien shrugged. "Well, regardless, you're welcome to come by and pick some up if you'd like. It works rather well for any other kind of bruise as well. That's usually what I use it for, honestly. All those bumps and injuries I get working with the police. I don't half mind when I get bruises from my wife."

"My god, you have a child!" she scolded.

"How do you think we got the child?" he laughed.

Alice couldn't resist a small smile at his response. He was an odd one, Lucien Blake. And Alice adored being his friend. He was unlike anyone else. He had been a pain to work with from their first moment together, but he'd never treated her the way other doctors did. He respected her ability and valued her input. And he had never _once_ disparaged her for all those things the rest of the world seemed to find to be mortal sins; too tall, too smart, too opinionated, too cold, too strange. Lucien Blake had opened his home and his kindness to her without reservation, and she loved him for it. Almost enough to confide in him about the source of that love bite. Almost.


	4. Chapter 4

Jean found Lucien in his study, sitting in the dark. "It's nearly time for dinner. Would you like me to keep a plate for you? Or I can bring it to you in here?" she asked gently.

"No, I'm sorry, darling. I didn't notice the sun go down. I was just thinking," he replied. "I'll come out for dinner."

Jean turned on the light switch and came over to where he sat. "It can wait for a moment. What are you working on? Can I help?" She stood behind his chair and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He sighed, patting her arm affectionately as he explained, "The police found a dart gun with tranquilizers matching what we found in Riordon's system in the hotel room of Jimmy Kane's manager."

"Jimmy Kane is the frontrunner in the race, yes?"

"Yes. Frank reckons that Kane's team was worried about Riordon's surprising gain in the race and wanted to eliminate the competition."

Jean frowned. "If they wanted to get rid of him, surely there would have been an easier way than shooting him with a tranquilizer gun in the middle of the race."

"Yes, that's what's been bothering me as well. The motive seems fine, but the method doesn't really match."

"Well, what motive would fit that method? Riordon wasn't shot with a bullet, it was a tranquilizer dart. Whoever did it probably didn't want to kill him. Didn't Alice say that the drug affected his lungs because of his asthma? If he didn't have asthma, he wouldn't have died, probably just gotten rather sluggish on the bike, maybe lost control a bit? Enough to keep him out of his third-place entrance into Ballarat," Jean thought aloud.

The pair remained silent for a moment, each thinking. After a moment, however, Jean couldn't lean over as she was without feeling a twinge in her back. She reluctantly ended her embrace of her husband and stretched.

"I think perhaps we should have dinner and talk it through with Mattie and Charlie. They might have more ideas." Jean kissed the top of his head and patted his shoulder to encourage him to come out of the study and into the kitchen.

Over the dinner, the four got to talking about the ongoing case, as they often did. Lucien and Charlie did most of the explaining to Mattie while Jean was busy feeding Valerie and trying to avoid the absolute mess that mealtime seemed to turn into.

Mattie listened intently and asked questions for clarification, always wanting to be of help when she could. But she was just as much of a loss as Lucien. She agreed that the dart gun was probably planted and the man in custody likely wasn't guilty. "It's weird, isn't it, that Riordon was doing so much better than the odds. From what I've heard, he wasn't expected to finish in the top ten, let alone the top three. I bet the betting agents were losing their minds before Riordon died. Of course, now they're probably losing their minds over this delay for the investigation. It can't really maintain the integrity of the race to keep everyone stuck in Ballarat for three days, can it?"

Charlie and Lucien continued on that vein while Jean continued to remain quiet and spoon baby food into Valerie's mouth. She allowed the conversation to wash over her like a dull hum in the background of her mind. And all of a sudden, Mattie's words caught up, and Jean had a spark of an idea. "Rick Abbott!"

Lucien looked over to her curiously. "What about him?"

"I think you should interview him again and see if he's a gambler. If perhaps he had a bet on the outcome of the race and suddenly Martin Riordon upsets all the predictions and odds?"

"And if he refused to keep himself out of the top three, Abbott may have taken things into his own hand. The method would make sense, not wanting to really injure Martin at all, what with his daughter engaged to marry him. Oh Jean, you are brilliant!" Lucien exclaimed.

Charlie scrambled from the table, shouting thanks to Jean for dinner. Lucien was right behind him. They had a case to solve.

Jean, it turned out, was exactly right, down to the last detail. Rick Abbott had bet quite a bit of money on the top three in the race, Riordon not being one of them. And when he begged his racer to lose on purpose, he'd refused. Abbott took matters into his own hand, trying to avoid detection by his daughter and anyone else, going so far as to frame another manager by planting the dart gun in the hotel room.

Lucien was out all night with the police. Jean didn't enjoy sleeping without her husband in bed with her, but she understood his enthusiasm and dedication to his work, and she didn't want to make a fuss. She slept restlessly that night. It felt silly after being married for a few years now, to miss him this way.

The next morning, after breakfast for Valerie and herself, Jean heard a familiar noise in the front drive. She put Valerie upstairs in her crib with some toys before going out to see what was going on.

And sure enough, there was Lucien, tinkering with that damned motorbike again. But this time he was sitting on the bike and wearing a leather jacket. He saw her come from the house and turned off the engine.

"Good morning, love," he greeted.

"I take it you solved the case?"

"Yes. You were spot on, as usual."

Jean nodded in satisfaction. "I'm glad. Now then, have you eaten or slept at all since you left in the middle of dinner?"

"I had some coffee and a pastry at the station. Mattie brought some by on her way to work. She had an early shift today," Lucien answered.

"And then you decided to come home and play with this infernal machine?"

Lucien knew that tone in her voice. It still made him nervous. "Well, yes. Dianna Abbot was understandably upset at learning that her father had accidentally murdered her fiancé, and she gave me Martin's jacket. Fits rather nicely, don't you think?"

"Mmm," Jean agreed rather noncommittally.

"Anyway, I wanted to have a ride with it, now that the bike is in working condition."

Jean took in the sight before her. Lucien in a brown leather jacket sitting astride a rather impressive motorbike. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips in a barely-noticeable fashion.

But Lucien noticed. "Would you like to come with me? I know you disapprove of the motorbike, but I do think you'd enjoy it."

"How do you expect me to come with you?" she asked dubiously.

"Well, you're wearing trousers, which is good for a whole host of reasons."

Jean rolled her eyes, feeling constantly pleased yet annoyed with Lucien's obsession with her trousers.

Lucien continued, "You just sit back here behind me and hold on."

"Hold on to what?"

"Well, me."

Jean didn't want to admit how attractive she found that idea. But they couldn't. "Maybe another time. No one else is home to stay with Valerie."

"If someone's here with Valerie, you'll come on a ride with me?" he asked excitedly.

"I suppose it's worth a try," she conceded.

Lucien practically jumped off the bike. He kissed Jean on the cheek quickly and told her to wait right there as he hurried into the house and picked up the phone.

Jean waited as Lucien had asked. The time passed, so she checked on some of her plants in the front yard. Eventually, her curiosity overtook her. She went back to the motorbike and looked at all the shiny chrome that Lucien had polished and the fine leather of the seat. It even looked exciting. Terrifying, but exciting.

A minute later, Lucien came back outside. "On the way," he announced with satisfaction. And just then, Matthew Lawson pulled up in his car.

Limping up the drive, Matthew asked, "Valerie in her room?"

"Yes. She's had her breakfast, so she might need a change soon, but we shouldn't be gone long," Jean replied.

Matthew waved her off. "We'll be fine. Have a good time," he told the Blakes.

Lucien didn't allow Jean a moment to protest. He got onto the bike and started the engine. Jean got on behind him and grabbed hold of his waist for dear life. And with a roar of acceleration, they were off.

Jean nearly screamed in fright. Everything was so fast and loud. She couldn't possibly see how this was appealing for anyone. She held Lucien as tightly as she could, burying her face in his jacket, her knees clenched around the bike in a desperate attempt to feel secure.

But after a few minutes, Jean came to see that Lucien really did know what he was doing; of course he did, he wouldn't have let her come with him if he didn't know he could keep her safe. The ride was starting to become less frightening and almost…fun. And the rumble of the bike between her legs certainly helped. Lucien's body was so strong and solid. She didn't often get to hold him like this. The texture of the soft leather against her cheek made her want to rub up against him. Goodness, that engine certainly caused quite a bit of vibration.

Lucien did a short lap around town before returning home. Jean didn't seem to be hating the experience, but he didn't want to go too far in case she was displeased. He parked the bike beside the garage. He had to pull her arms off him so he could get off the bike. After he did so, he immediately offer her his hand to help her off as well. "How was that?"

Jean's eyes were wide, slightly stunned. Her gaze darted around, finally landing on his face, the front of his trousers, and back to his face. "I didn't think it would be like that."

"Like what?"

"Arousing."

Lucien was stunned into silence. His jaw dropped as he stared at her.

"We should go in the garage before Matthew knows we've come back home," Jean told him.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the garage so quickly, she let out a surprised shriek that turned into an excited laugh.

Matthew heard the front door open and slowly made his way downstairs on his bum leg to greet the Blakes. "I changed her and let her play on the floor. You didn't tell me she's walking now," he noted.

"Yes, thank you, Matthew," Jean replied hurriedly. Her hair was all out of sorts and her face flushed. Motorbike rides can have that effect, he assumed.

Lucien thanked his friend for coming to babysit on such short notice.

"You were gone for a lot longer than I expected. What did you do, take her around every part of town?"

"Every part indeed," Lucien said to himself with a smirk.

"Your shirt is missing three buttons," Matthew commented.

Lucien looked down. "Ah, so it is." He'd need to remember to search the garage for the missing buttons and ask Jean to, once again, repair the buttons on a shirt she'd ripped off of him.

"By the way, since I'm here, I was wondering if you have anything in your surgery for bruises."

"Oh? What's wrong?" Lucien asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. But do you have some Vitamin K cream?"

And just like that, all the pieces fell into place. "Of course. Would you and Alice like to share a bottle, or shall I give you each your own?"

Matthew lowered his gaze to hide his blush. "Just the one," he muttered in embarrassment.

Lucien clapped him on the shoulder. "Coming right up. And well done, mate. I haven't seen Alice this happy in quite some time. Or you either, for that matter. How long have you been together?"

"Not long," Matthew replied vaguely.

"Well, it looks like you've already surpassed her in the ability to hide love bites on your neck."

"Mine aren't on my neck."

Lucien laughed, "Oh well done indeed. And now I don't feel nearly as bad about having you here an extra hour while Jean and I were in the garage."

Matthew groaned in annoyance. "She ripped those buttons off your shirt, didn't she?"

Jean came downstairs just in time to overhear Matthew's comment. "Lucien! Don't you dare spread details of our love life all around town!"

"Not all around town, just Matthew. And I only said anything because Matthew and Alice are in need of a bottle of Vitamin K cream," he explained to his wife.

Jean raised her brow in surprise. "Well done," she told Matthew.

Lucien laughed hysterically, and Matthew explained, "That's exactly what Lucien said."

"I'm not surprised. Now then, Lucien, go get Matthew what he needs, and let him go home. We've kept him here long enough as it is." When Lucien went into the surgery, Jean added to Matthew, "Honestly, it's wonderful you and Alice have gotten together. I've seen the two of you when you're both here for holidays and such, and you seem like a fine match."

Matthew finally left when Lucien gave him the bottle of cream. Jean pulled her husband into a warm embrace, snuggling into his chest.

"What's this for?" Lucien asked, holding her tight.

"I love you very much," she replied, her voice muffled against him.

"You know, I suspected as much in the garage," he teased.

She chuckled and nudged him. "I love you and our life. We have adventures on motorbikes and in solving mysteries, and we have Valerie and Mattie and Charlie and Matthew and Alice, and I've just never been so happy. We have everything I could ever want in life."

Lucien kissed her hair lovingly. "Everything we have is thanks to you, darling. You are the reason for everything good in my life, and I love you more every single day."

Their tender moment was interrupted by the screaming cries of their daughter upstairs in her room. Jean sighed resignedly. "I'll go see to her, and you go take a nap. You can't very well see patients this afternoon if you're dead on your feet from staying up working all night and then exerting all your remaining energy making love to me."

He smirked. "Fair point. I'll go to bed for a few hours. Thank you."

They went upstairs and went their separate ways. One mystery solved, and another was sure to be on its way soon. But until then, the Blakes would return to their chaotic, perfect ordinary life.


End file.
